Friday’s only AFL Round 16 match is between North Melbourne Kangaroos and Hawthorn Hawks. The opening bounce is set to commence at 7:50 PM local time with the game to be played at Etihad Stadium. The away team Hawthorn Hawks are the favourites for the match. View our preview and teams for the game between North Melbourne Kangaroos and Hawthorn Hawks.
Round:Round 16 , July 04, 2014 , 7:50 PM
Stadium:Etihad Stadium
Weather:15° Shower or two developing.
Featured Bookmakers:
Tips: North Melbourne Kangaroos +26.5 at $1.92 with Sportsbet Australia + get a $250 FREE BET
Preview:
ALASTAIR Clarkson resumes as Hawthorn coach this Friday night, with caretaker Brendon Bolton having led the Hawks to five straight wins in his absence. The Hawks have withstood a horror run with injury this season to sit first on the ladder after 15 rounds, their ability to perform week-in and week-out in stark contrast to North’s chronic inconsistency. The Roos’ loss to the Brisbane Lions last Saturday night was the low point of their season to date. North will be keen to atone against the Hawks and has not lost two games in a row this season, but it’s hard to see them producing the four-quarter performance they’ll need to topple the reigning premiers.
LAST FIVE TIMES
R22, 2013, Hawthorn 17.15 (117) d North Melbourne 15.13 (103) at Etihad Stadium
R5, 2013, Hawthorn 14.15 (99) d North Melbourne 13.18 (96) at MCG
R10, 2012, Hawthorn 27.12 (174) d North Melbourne 9.5 (59) at Aurora Stadium
R20, 2011, Hawthorn 15.13 (103) d North Melbourne 13.8 (86) at Aurora Stadium
R5, 2010, North Melbourne 12.10 (82) d Hawthorn 10.10 (70) at Aurora Stadium
THE SIX POINTS
1. North Melbourne has lost six of its past seven matches against Hawthorn, including the past four. If the Roos lose on Friday night, it will be the first time since 1990-93 that they have lost five games in a row to the Hawks.
2. North has not beaten Hawthorn at Etihad Stadium since round six, 2006, with the Hawks enjoying a 5-3 record against the Roos at the Docklands venue.
3. No team has taken the ball inside its forward 50 more in 2014 than Hawthorn (58 inside 50s a game), while the Roos have struggled in comparison, ranked a lowly 14th (48.3).
4. This will be a contest between the most accurate and the most inaccurate goalkicking teams in 2014, with Hawthorn leading the competition with its conversion rate of 58.3 per cent and North Melbourne ranked 18th with its 46.4 per cent conversion rate.
5. Hawthorn is again the No.1 scoring side in 2014, averaging 116.7 points a game, while the Kangaroos have slipped from being the third highest-scoring team in 2013 to 11th this season (85.7 points a game).
6. Isaac Smith had a career-best 25.4 player ratings points last round against Gold Coast. The Hawthorn midfielder is ranked 80th overall in the Official AFL Player Ratings, brought to you by Gatorade.
Teams:
NORTH MELBOURNE
B Luke McDonald, Scott D. Thompson, Scott McMahon
HB Shaun Atley, Lachlan Hansen, Michael Firrito
C Sam Gibson, Andrew Swallow, Liam Anthony
HF Brent Harvey, Aaron Black, Nick Dal Santo
F Sam Wright, Drew Petrie, Lindsay Thomas
FOLL Todd Goldstein, Ben Cunnington, Levi Greenwood
I/C Ryan Bastinac, Ben Jacobs, Leigh Adams, Ben Brown
EMG Max Warren, Mason Wood, Trent Dumont
IN Scott McMahon, Lachlan Hansen, Liam Anthony, Sam Wright
OUT Max Warren (Omitted), Jack Ziebell (Knee), Aaron Mullett (Omitted), Brad McKenzie (Omitted)
HAWTHORN 
B Ryan Schoenmakers, Brian Lake, Ben Stratton
HB Shaun Burgoyne, Matt Spangher, Grant Birchall
C Isaac Smith, Jordan Lewis, Matthew Suckling
HF Paul Puopolo, Jack Gunston, Bradley Hill
F Luke Breust, Jarryd Roughead, David Hale
FOLL Jonathon Ceglar, Luke Hodge, Liam Shiels
I/C Angus Litherland, Taylor Duryea, Brad Sewell,Sam Mitchell
EMG Ben Ross, Ben McEvoy, Jonathan Simpkin
IN Sam Mitchell
OUT Cyril Rioli (Hamstring)
